The Edmonton Rush added another right-handed stick to their offense on Tuesday when they picked up Matthew Dinsdale from the Calgary Roughnecks in exchange for a conditional third round pick in the 2015 draft.
The third-year forward was drafted by the Roughnecks in 2012 with the seventh-overall pick. Although highly touted when he was chosen, Dinsdale has never really found a regular spot on the floor for the Riggers, playing behind other right-handed forwards Shaun Evans and Curtis Dickson.
Dinsdale’s most productive season was 2014 when he played in 14 games, scoring six goals and adding 11 assists. This year he has only made appearances in six games, picking up a point per game.
Dinsdale has spent time playing with several members of the Rush team in years past. In junior he has played alongside Mark Matthews, Robert Church, Ben McIntosh and Riley Loewen.
Although the familiarity might be there, the question remains how much time Dinsdale will be able to earn on the floor. He joins an attack unit that already features established righties such as Church, McIntosh and Jarrett Davis. Those three account for 129 points so far this season with Church second on the team in points, McIntosh third and Davis fifth.
As for the Roughnecks, in some respects they don’t lose much with this deal. Dinsdale wasn’t logging playing time anyway, and with the addition of Sean Pollock a week ago, Dinsdale slid that much further down the depth chart. Picking up a third round pick in the upcoming draft gives the Roughnecks an opportunity to rebuild their roster going into next season.
